Pubches miles



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PUEoHEs MILES, 0E NEW YORK, N. Y.

CURTAIN-FIXTURE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,149, dated September26, 1865.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, PUEoHEs MILES, of thecity and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use acertain new and useful Improvement in Curtain-Fixtures; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of my said invention, reference being hadto the annexed drawings, making part of this specilication, where- 1nFigure lis an elevation of my fixture, sho wing part of the curtain androller. Fig. 2 is a view of the saine endwise ofthe roller; and Fig. 3is a side view of one of the brackets.

Similar marks of reference denote the same parts.

Various characters of curtain-fixtures have heretofore been made inwhich the curtain runs down by its own weight, or by a weighted slat atthe bottom end,which operation winds a cord upon a spool at the end ofthe roller, and in some instances the tassel to said cord has beenweighted, so as to balance the curtain and cause it to remain atanypoint at which it may be placed.

All curtain-fixtures ot' this general class are objectionable on accountofthe length of cord that remains loose when the curtain is wound up,and also on account of the fact that in most cases the curtain or atassel thereon has to be seized to pull down the shade. This producesstrain and unnecessary wear on the shade or curtain.

The nature of my said invention consists in a friction knob or buttonapplied to the oord that passes from the aforesaid spool, in combinationwith a spring or equivalent device that takes up the slack of the cordafter it passes around the said friction button or knob. By this devicethe friction on the cord holds the shade at any point to which it maybe'raised or lowered, and the act of pulling on the cord to draw up theshade relieves the strain of the cord, so that the spring can draw thecord around the said knob and take up the slack; and when the cordleading to the spring is drawn upon, the strain ofsaid sprin g isrelieved,

lso that the weight of the curtain will cause the roller to revolve andwind up'the cord on the spool, drawing` said cord around thefrictionknob; but when the cord is drawn by the spring or its equivalentacting to keep it tight on one side of the said button, and by theweight of t-he curtain acting to keep the cord tight on the other sideof said button or knob, then the friction ofthe cord upon thesaid'button or knob is sufficient to prevent either force moving thecord.

In the drawings, a represents a portion of the window-casing or otherpart where the curtain is affixed. b is the curtain; o, the roller uponwhich it is wound; d, the bracket sustain* ing the axis-pin of theroller, which bracket is more fully described hereinafter. e is thespool for the cord f, that passes off in any convenient direction, andgoes around the button or knob g, that is formed of any suitable shapeor material. I prefer and use a porcelain knob. The cordfthen passesaway in any convenientdirection to a spring, h, or other device fortaking up the slack of the cord as aforesaid.

I prefer and use an india-rubber cord for the spring, but a contractilehelical spring or a weight might be employed for the same purpose. Iprefer that the cord f pass once and a halt' around the knob g, and passupward :nearly parallel to the cordin that portion which passes from thespool e to the knob g, in order that the two cords may be easilyaccessible and may stand iu the same relative position to each other andto the shade orcurtain that the cords do in the usual rack-and-pulleyxture.

The bracket d at the spool end of the roller is formed, as seen in Fig.2, with notches for the reception of the axis of the roller, whichnotches pass in diagonally from each side, so that the bracket canproject from the windowcasing or hang down from the top of the casing,and said bracket can be employed at either end of the roller, as mostconvenient. The other bracket, L', Fig. 3, has two holes in it,corresponding in position with the bottoms of the diagonal slots ornotches in el, and bot-h brackets are provided with screw-holes at o o,so that they can be attached iatwise to the opposite inner faces of thewindow-casing, if most convenient.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A friction knob, button, or analogous device, in combination with thecord passing from the spool of the curtain-roller, and a spring or

